Ken's comment on: Reflections on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
As the curtain came down on the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, we’re left with many incredible images and memories of outstanding sporting achievement. With everyone having their own opinion on the most impressive athletic achievements and the most inspiring moments, it’s almost impossible to draw out particular highlights. Michael Phelps coming out of retirement to take his Olympic medal tally to 28, Usain Bolt achieving the ‘triple triple’ in sprinting, and Mo Farah the ’double double’ in distance running were without doubt amongst them.
And how do we determine the success of an Olympic Games? Is it the number of world records and positions on the medal table? Is it ticket sales and viewing figures? Or is it how the Games captures a nation’s, or indeed the world’s, interest and inspires people to believe. Whilst the impact of elite sporting success on sports participation and physical activity may be limited, the power of sport to inspire and promote a growth mindset is intuitively compelling. The impact of promoting self-belief to achieve, whether that be in sport or other aspects of life, is relatively intangible.
Brazil as the host nation rose to the challenge and achieved their highest ever medal haul of 19, 7 of which were gold. As an indication of the globalisation of sport, 10 more countries won medals in Rio than ever before. And as the Olympic movement promotes diversity, so we saw the inclusion of golf and rugby sevens – the latter providing high octane excitement, and of course, Fiji’s first ever Olympic medal in any sport.
Team GB made history in meeting their Herculean challenge of being the first nation to win more medals at a Games following their home Games. Finishing second in the medal table with 27 golds and a total of 67 medals, Team GB surpassed their historic success of 2012 where they finished 3rd in the medal table with 65 medals. Domination in track cycling and leading the medal table in triathlon, rowing and sailing were impressive, but perhaps even more indicative of the strength of Team GB is that they won medals in 19 sports – two more than in London 2012.
So what drives elite sporting success? It’s undeniable that medals follow financial investment and that British Olympic sport is well-funded. But funding is only effective when invested into a system that’s progressive and sustainable. This approach in the UK over nearly 20 years of National Lottery and Government funding has delivered a mature system of comprehensive support including governance, coaching, athlete talent development, science, medicine and technology. I would argue it’s this strategic and systematic approach that’s delivering unprecedented success.
Rio presented the usual challenges of major competition away from home: long-haul travel, hot and humid environmental conditions, an unfamiliar culture and health risks. Experience and highly-developed strategies to overcome these challenges enabled Team GB to deliver their peak performance when it mattered most. At the GSK Human Performance Lab (HPL) we’re privileged to have partnered with many of Team GB’s Olympic sports, including triathlon, hockey, canoe racing, road cycling and diving. As an applied science and research centre within a global healthcare company, we’ve been in a unique position to support our partners’ preparations for Rio – for some we’ve developed personalised heat acclimation strategies and bespoke race day energy and hydration formulations, for others, we’ve evaluated the effect of fatigue and dehydration on cognitive function.
And there’s still the Rio Paralympic Games to come. Despite the recent concerns over cost cutting and ticket sales, it’s certain we’ll see many more impressive feats of human performance. But let’s remember, these don’t come by chance; rather as a consequence of years of dedication and commitment from athletes, coaches, support staff and a system that enables them to deliver.
High performance sport may well provide an example for other industries, including healthcare. Not only does it demonstrate the impact of an unrelenting approach to improvement, it also highlights the need for a personalised approach based on the specific strengths and needs of the individual. Whilst personalised medicine is a hot topic and almost certainly the future of healthcare, how we achieve this is an enormous challenge. What is clear, is that with a scientific, evidence-based approach we can understand and overcome a wide range of challenges.
Further insights from our ongoing partner scientific support and our plans for future applied research in health and performance can be found at the GSK HPL Science Community.